After spending two and a half years in Qatar, I’m firmly in the mind that Qatari nightlife is sneaky good but is it also sneaky expensive?

First off, I’d like to establish that I’m not one for numbers, not at all. I’ve heard that some brains are geared towards numbers and science and the rest of us operate in some obscure capacity that fosters a creative side (or that’s what they told us.) It may be my inability to convert the riyal to dollar in my head (math is hard) or maybe I’ve matured to where I’ve convinced myself that money isn’t everything? No definitely not, 100 riyals sounds pretty reasonable to me these days but on the contraire if you try charging me $27 dollars for two drinks back home in USA, I’d be beyond offended. I’ll open the Yelp app or Trip Advisor and pump out words of fury till I reach the character limit!

Anyways, I can’t quite put my finger on it, but there’s something about the Qatari Riyal that has gradually seen me evolve from a penny-pinching Scrooge McDuck to a frivolous top hat wearing Mr. Monopoly making it rain funny looking bills everywhere I go. I tend to spend more on a night out in Doha than I would back home in New York, but Doha nightlife is also far more lavish than anything I could afford back home.

In perspective, Doha offers luxury lifestyle at a practical price point. Try heading to the W or Intercontinental on a budget in the States and let me know how that goes. Being an expat in Qatar allows most of us to indulge in a lifestyle that would ordinarily be beyond our means. Is a night out in Doha expensive? Sure, is it reasonable at the same time? I think so. Or maybe I’m a pretentious expat or maybe I’m on to something?

PS. Before you vote the latter, you should know I drink boxed wine, also I don’t own an entertainer app but I’ll totally use yours.

Written by: Sharif Salameh